The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
This invention relates to quickly deployable munitions to fight fires. More particularly, sufficient numbers of the fire retardant munitions of this invention can be accurately dropped from military aircraft to suppress fires.
During the worst fire season in recent years, more than 50 fires burned more than 500,000 acres nationwide, according to the National Fire Information Center. Flames burned large areas in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Typical of the extent of the devastation are: a fire triggered by lightning in Nevada scorched about 65,000 acres about 60 miles northeast of Elko; 50,000 acres burned in Montana in Custer National Forest, homes were threatened in the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, and fires near Helena had blackened nearly 23,000 acres; a fire consumed more than 23,000 acres in 10 days and uncovered more than 12 new archaeological sites while endangering the ancient Anasazi ruins in Colorado; a 77,000-acre blaze raged in the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho; seven fires burned in Utah, including a 38,700-acre blaze in Fishlake National Forest; numerous fires in California took more than a week to contain, including a blaze that scorched more than 63,000 acres in California""s Sequoia National Forest while destroying several homes nearby.
One system to combat such blazes over large areas is the aerial delivery system known as the modular airborne fire fighting system (MAFFS). The MAFFS Program was established by Congress to combat wild land fires by the U.S. Forest Service and, when requested, is implemented by several units in the Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve (AFR). MAFFS usually assist with fighting fires on wild lands during extreme conditions and when there is xe2x80x9cimminent dangerxe2x80x9d to life and property, and other aerial resources are committed.
Each MAFFS unit is a pressurized 3,000-gallon five-tank system designed for installation in C-130 aircraft without structural modification to the aircraft. MAFFS are xe2x80x9csingle-shotxe2x80x9d systems, meaning that the full load is discharged at one time. This means that about 3,000 gallons of retardant are discharged in about five seconds through two tubes exiting the rear ramp of the plane, and this one load may lay down a xe2x80x9clinexe2x80x9d about one-quarter-mile-long and sixty feet wide.
Only eight MAFFS are available and each one without any fire retardant weighs approximately 10,000 pounds and must be used on the limited numbers of C-130 aircraft. These MAFFS-fitted aircraft must fly close to the fire in order to deliver their load of retardant, and often they cannot fly into canyons to effectively quench fires.
MAFFS provide firefighters a needed boost in capabilities. However, the resources of MAFFS are stretched thin when compared to the extent of the fire threat and the costs of having personnel trained and maintained in a state of readiness may be prohibitive. Since there are not enough trained professional firefighters to contain wild fires that threaten structures, life, and livestock, primary reliance for fighting fires must be placed in the hands of massive numbers of ground forces that are quickly trained and may be not well suited for the task. More practical solutions still are needed that will be of value and benefit to both the Forest Service and the military services.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for quickly deployable, effective means for combating large area fires within vast threatened regions.
The present invention provides a munition and method of deploying munitions for fighting fires. Each munition has a shell-shaped case having a nose portion at one end, a cylindrical portion connected to the nose portion, and an open end portion connected to the cylindrical portion at its opposite end. The case has an internal chamber, and an air-bag power module and fire retardant are contained in the chamber. A lid closes the open end portion of the chamber, and switches on the case provide signals for the air-bag power module to create sudden forceful displacement of the lid from the open end portion by the air bag module and sudden forceful ejection of the fire retardant from the chamber, through the open end portion, and out of the shell-shaped case by the air-bag power module.
An object of the invention is to provide a quickly deployable fire fighting tool to combat large area fires within vast threatened regions.
Another object is to provide a fire fighting munition to suppress fires being dropped from aircraft capable of deploying standard bombs.
Another object is to provide munitions containing fire retardant deployed at multiple sites from a single aircraft.
Another object is to provide munitions containing fire retardant that can be targeted accurately at single hot spots, isolated structures, along fire lines and internal to a fire zone.
Another object is to provide munitions containing fire retardant deployed from high altitudes with great accuracy from high capacity military aircraft to control a fire.
Another object is to provide munitions containing fire retardant deployed from high altitudes with great accuracy from high capacity military aircraft to create protected zones quickly for fire fighters trapped by runaway fires.
Another object is to provide munitions containing fire retardant effectively deployed to control fires from military aircraft without requiring additional training beyond the training bomber crews already have.
Another object of the invention is to provide for deployment of munitions containing fire retardant in support of fire fighting efforts by the Forest Service while simultaneously training and giving practice to military crews.
Another object of the invention is to provide for accurate deployment of munitions containing fire retardant under all conditions to precise GPS guided coordinates using military-fielded Joint Direct Attack Munition/Joint StandOff Weapon kits.
Another object of the invention is to provide for safe and accurate deployment of munitions containing fire retardant for fire suppression when large fires break out far from shores aboard aircraft carriers, tankers, and oil rigs.
Another object of the invention is to provide for safe and accurate deployment of munitions containing fire retardant for fire suppression without introducing the problems associated with metallic clutter in the environment.
Another object of the invention is to provide for safe and accurate deployment of biodegradable munitions for fire suppression having seeds and/or fertilizer for restoration of the environment.
Another object of the invention is to provide for safe and accurate deployment of biodegradable containers having seeds and/or fertilizers to aid in environmental restoration.
These and other objects of the invention will become more readily apparent from the ensuing specification when taken in conjunction with the appended claims.